“Love & Hip Hop” (New York) Recap: This Latina Is On Fire

Who put habaneros in Erica Mena’s Corn Flakes? Cause this Latina was on FIRE all episode long.

First, she chewed out her boyfriend/manager Rich Dollaz for his outburst in the last episode with her and Olivia. She made the man grovel for her forgiveness and then had the nerve to ask him to fork over some cash for a mani and pedi.

I thought Erica said she was an independent woman and all that shit? Golddiggin’ ass trick.

But her little tiff with Rich was nothing compared to the knockdown, drag-out fight that she had with her gal pal Lore’l, an aspiring rapper who looks like Lumidee mixed with the middle-aged Lil’ Kim’s body. She was very unfortunate looking.

But when the two met up earlier in the episode, Lore’l (yes, it’s pronounced just like the make-up, in case you were wondering) and Erica were as thick as thieves. Erica suggested that the two struggling musicians get together and do a track together. Lore’l was down for the party but when Erica brought the idea to Rich, he turned his face up like Erica had pooted in it.

He nixed the idea with the quickness but Erica wasn’t having it. She got IN his face and screamed about how she had a say in her life.

Rich took another sip of his drink and asked her what she wanted to talk about. That man shades well.

Later, when Erica and Rich went out to Tahiry’s event (read: a gig where she gets paid to flirt and “host” a party at the club), Rich found himself in between a rock and a hard place as Erica and Lore’l confronted Rich about his aversion to them working together.

He told Lore’l to her face that she didn’t have anything to offer Erica as far as career advancement goes. Lore’l balked at his assertion, since Erica doesn’t have a platinum plaque either. (She’s kinda right.)

Rich stormed off and went over to hang with Tahiry, and Lore’l just kept stirring the pot until Erica got up and dragged Rich out of the club. Once they were outside, Erica started hollering at Rich for not leaving the club when she wanted to, and then she turned on Lore’l for talking shit while the two were fighting. Lore’l kept saying Erica was “wildin’ out” and called her “crazy” to Rich, even though before she said Rich wasn’t shit.

So you can kind of see where Erica was coming from.

But then Lore’l said, “What you gonna do? Kick him in the motherfuckin’ head like you did your baby father?”

Oh snap. Hulk time!

Like a dungeon dragon, Erica threatens Lore’l’s life, safety and existence like a raging pitbull. Rich tries to pull her away and thankfully, no blows are exchanged. But Erica’s tea pot was definitely on boil.

Meet Jen the Pen and Her Cheapskate Boyfriend Consequence

On a show full of racially ambiguous women, Jen manages to be the most racially ambiguous of all. With the best lighting, makeup and styling, she looks like a light-skinned black woman. (See above)

Then, in other scenes with less makeup, she looks like a typical white woman. (See below)

The crux of Jen and Consequence’s plot revolves around the fact that Jen is unemployed and how Consequence uses that to limit, function and inhibit her happiness.

Consequence, on the other hand, feels like Jen is getting a free ride and is too lazy to work. So he picks a fight with Jen over the budget for their son Caiden’s 1st birthday party.

Even if he had problems with the budget Jen racked up for the party, who threatens his child’s birthday party right before he walks in because he wants to prove a point?

Consequence is an alien-looking, penny-pinching jerk for that. No country for stingy fathers.

Joe Budden and Tahiry Problems

Joe Budden is still trying to unravel the mess that went down at his pool party between his ex-girlfriend Tahiry and his “best friend” Raqi.

He’s rehearsing at SOB’s when Raqi walks in to try to address the issues. But before you know it, Joe starts getting all shouty at Raqi. Aggressively. Ike Turner aggressive. So Raqi, fearing for her safety, walks away from Joe.

Joe seeks out advice on what to do from his mama.

She just so happens to look like a black woman who stole all of Shirley Temple’s curls from 1934. Why do all rapper’s mothers love blonde hair? We blame Diddy’s mama Janice Combs for starting this mess.

So Joe sits there sipping on his chocolate milk and confesses that he has “relapsed.” Joe never mentions what drug, specifically, so it’s hard to really know how severe this addiction is. But nonetheless, he gets to sniffling and crying about it.

Later, Joe introduces the audience to his girlfriend. The wallflower who sat in the pool while her man’s ex and his “best friend” went at it is a coward. But Kaylin, Joe’s flavor of the month, tries to make amends with Raqi nonetheless.

Raqi, with her face like a piece of armor, eventually relents and vows to try to fix things with Joe one more time for Kaylin’s sake.

Too bad this whole plot blows right back up in Raqi’s face once again. Raqi’s losing streak stinks, but hey, it could be worse. She could be married to a man named Mendeecees for starters.